Apparatus for necking-in and flanging can bodies

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for forming a necked-in and flanged can body wherein an end of the body is forced by a spinning roll into a spinning groove, which is formed jointly by continuous groove segments formed both in a spinning pilot and in a spinning anvil, the spinning roll being movable to a limited degree axially of the body so that relative axial movement between the spinning members is obtained to permit the spinning operation to progress to completion. The axial movement of the movable spinning roll is obtained automatically by spring mounting it on its shaft so that it can slide along the shaft as the contour of the body changes.

iJite 8tatee Patent oyne [54] APPARATUS F03 NEQKHNG-HN AND FLANGKNG CANBQD [72] Inventor: Hit- Luke Hoyne, Toms River,

[73] Assignee: Amer-i Can 1 w:

York, NY.

New

[52] US. Cl ..72/94, 72/96, 113/120 AA [51] Int. Cl. ..BZld 19/06 [58]Field of WM- 111 ..72/82, 83, 84, 86, 91, 94,

[56] Reterenees UNiTED STATES PATENTS 286,115 10/1883 Chaumont ..72/832,160,866 6/ 1939 Hothersall ..72/ 105 2,892,431 6/ 1959 Killian et a1...72/82 3,282,078 1 1/1966 Kaesemeyer ..29/ 159 1,161,923 11/1915 Butler..72/94 213,214 3/1879 Letterman ..72/96 Sept. 5, 1972 2,189,004 2/ 1940Harwood ..72/96 2,432,658 12/1947 Coyle ..113/120 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 14,238 8/1855 France ..72/123 Primary Examiner-Richard J.l-lerbst Attomey-Robert P. Auber, George P. Ziehmer and Leonard R. KohanA method and apparatus for forming a necked-in and flanged can bodywherein an end of the body is forced by a spinning roll into a spinninggroove, which is formed jointly by continuous groove segments formedboth in a spinning pilot and in a spinning anvil, the spinning rollbeing movable to a limited degree axially of the body so that relativeaxial movement between the spinning members is obtained to permit thespinning operation to progress to completion. The

axial movement of the movable spinning roll is obtained automatically byspring mounting it on its shaft so that it can slide along the shaft asthe contour of the body changes.

26 (Ileims, 21 Drawing i 1 PATENTED SEP 5 I97? 3 8 8 8 5 3 8 sum 3 [IF aArrae/vey PATENTEUSEP 5 I972 3.688.538 saw u or 4 INVENTOR. Ef/VJAM/A/ z(/Af flay/Vi ATTORNEY APPARATUS FOR NECKING-IN AND FLANGING CAN BODIESBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to metalreceptacles such as beer and beverage cans which are made from thinmetal stock. The bodies of such cans may be formed in a variety of ways,as by impact extrusion or in a drawing and ironing process, whichmethods produce bodies which are seamless and have only one open end, orfrom flat blanks which are formed into cylinders and have theirlongitudinal edges secured together in any conventional manner, as bysoldering, welding, or by means of an organic adhesive, to form theminto strong leakproof side seams. This latter type of can body has twoopen ends. In all types, the open ends are sealed by having separate canclosures secured onto them in conventional multilayered double seamswherein the flanges of the can bodies and the end closures areinterfolded together.

Until fairly recently, commercially produced can bodies werestraight-sided, with the result that the double seams projectedoutwardly beyond the adjacent peripheral contour of the body wall.Recently, however, a demand has been created to have the open ends ofthe can bodies necked-in to such extent that the double seams do notproject outwardly of the body wall, but rather form an extension of it.In other words, the external diameter of the double seam is desirablyabout equal to the external diameter of the can body. This constructionprovides a number of advantages, not the least of which is that itpermits the use of a smaller sized, and consequently cheaper, endclosure.

It is a relatively simple operation to form necked-in seamless canbodies, since the diameter of the can body end can easily be reduced ina die forming operation and the necked-in body thereafter flangedoutwardly in a separate die flanging operation.

However, the die necking-in process is not adaptable to some types ofside seamed can bodies because of the fact that the side seams aresubstantially thicker than the other portions of the body wall, and thusdo not flow readily when subjected to this operation. As a result,tearing or objectionable wrinkling of the metal in or adjacent to theside seam is frequently experienced.

It has been found that vastly superior results in necking-in side seamedsteel or aluminum can bodies can be obtained through the use of aspinning operation rather than a die-forming operation, since in aspinning operation the stresses to which the body is subjected areminimized and the extra thickness of the side seam can be readilyaccommodated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a method andapparatus for forming necked-in and flanged can bodies in a metalspinning operation which is easily and readily effected on one or bothends of the body, as desired.

As the first step of the instant invention, each end of the body whichis to be reformed is preferably subjected to a preflanging operation.Thereafter, the preflanged end is positioned on a rotatable spinningpilot which is formed with a shallow partial groove which is disposedwithin the end of the body. A

spinning anvil, also fonned with a shallow partial groove, is disposedinwardly of the body with its partial groove juxtaposed with the partialgroove of the spinning pilot so that these partial grooves are thuspositioned to cooperate to jointly provide a full spinning groove havingthe desired configuration of the necked-in and flanged end of the canbody.

A freely rotatable spinning roll have a peripheral contour which iscomplementary to that of the spinning groove is then pressed radiallyagainst the outside surface of the can body at a point outwardly of andslightly offset from the internal spinning groove.

As the spinning pilot is rotated, it in turn causes the can body torotate relative to the spinning roll, and the inward movement of thespinning roll forces the body wall into the spinning groove,simultaneously effecting a flanging and a necking-in operation andgiving the end of the body the desired final configuration, comprising anecked-in grooved section which terminates in an outwardly extendingflange.

In order to provide a true spinning action wherein the spinning roll islocated in optimum positions as the reshaping of the metal of the canbody progresses, provision is made to permit relative longitudinalmovement between the spinning roll and the spinning anvil. This ispreferably done by spring mounting the spinning roll on its axis in suchmanner that it is located in a predetermined, slightly offset positionrelative to the spinning groove at the initiation of the spinningoperation, but is free to move along its shaft and thus automaticallyand continuously seek out and assume its optimum positions as thespinning operation progresses to completion, at which time the spinningroll is fully aligned with the spinning groove and the body is subjectedto a final, ironing operation as the spinning roll is fully home withinthe spinning groove. This ironing operation functions to remove anysmall wrinkles in the metal which might have been produced in thespinning operation.

While the instant invention is particularly useful in conjunction withcan bodies having side seams, it is not so limited and can be used toneck-in and flange all types of can bodies, including those can bodieswhich are formed with conventional soldered side seams.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of astraight-walled can body about to be subjected to the preflanging stepof the instant method invention, parts being shown in section;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the can body after completion of thepreflanging step; parts being shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the can body after completion of thenecking-in and flanging operation;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the necked-in can body after both endclosures have been seamed on to it;

FIGS. 5 7 are fragmentary detail views, on a greatly enlarged scale,illustrating how the metal at one end of a can body is progressivelyreshaped by the spinning tools which carry into effect the successivestages of the necking-in and flanging steps of the instant invention.

FIGS. 8 10 are vertical sectional views of one form of the spinningapparatus of the invention, illustrating the positions of the severalparts during successive stages of the necking-in and flanging operation,parts being broken away and other parts being shown in section;

FIGS. 11, 12 and 13 are sectional details, taken substantially along thelines 1111, 12-12, and 13-13, respectively, in FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a plan view, corresponding generally to FIG. 9, showing theposition of parts of a modified form of apparatus prior to the beginningof a neckingin and flanging operation with the spinning anvil concentricwith the spinning pilot, to which position it is returned prior to itsbeing withdrawn from the body after completion of the operation;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14 but showing the position of theparts during the final stage of the necking-in flanging operation withthe spinning anvil eccentric with the spinning pilot;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are fragmentary end views, as seen from the right inFIGS. 14 and 15 respectively, illustrating the throw of the eccentric onwhich the spinning anvil is mounted;

FIG. 18 is vertical sectional detail on an enlarged scale, taken througha portion of a modified form of spinning head wherein the spinning anvilis formed of collapsible segments and is permanently concentric with thespinning pilot, the view being taken prior to the beginning of thenecking-in and flanging operation and with the anvil segments incollapsed position;

FIG. 19 is a view, similar to FIG. 18, but showing the position of theparts at the conclusion of the flanging and necking-in operation withthe anvil segments in expanded position;

FIG. 20 is a vertical section taken substantilly along the line 20 20 inFIG. 18; and

FIG. 21 is an end elevation, as seen from the right of FIG. 19.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As seen in the drawings, the basic purposeof this invention is to reform the initially straight marginal endportions of a cylindrical can body B, shown in FIG. 1, to the structureshown in FIG. 3, wherein the end portions are each provided ,with anoutwardly extending full flange F and an inwardly grooved or necked-inportion N. After the body B has been thus necked-in and flanged, itsopen ends may be closed by means of end closures C (see FIG. 4) whichare seamed onto the flanged body ends in conventional interfolded doubleseams D. However, the application of the end closures C to the body B isnot a part of the instant invention.

The can body B as illustrated is preferably of the type which is formedfrom a flat, rectangular blank of thin metal, such as aluminum, tinplate, or tin-free steel, which is rolled into cylindrical form and hasits longitudinal edges overlapped and secured together in a side seam S,which may be of any conventional type, such as soldered, welded, oradhesively bonded. Such bodies are conventionally formed with two openends.

As a first step of the instant invention, both open ends of the body Bare slightly flared outwardly in a preflanging operation which rounds upthe ends and conditions them for the final necking-in and flangingoperations. This preflanging step is effected by forcing a pair ofpreflanging dies into the opposite ends of the body B to shape them intoslightly flaring preflanges P, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 5.

The preflanged bodies B are then inserted into a flanging and necking-inmachine M, as seen in FIGS. 8 13, which includes a pair of spinningheads H which operate simultaneously on the opposite ends of the body Bto accomplish the remaining method steps of the instant invention. Itwill be understood that if only one end of the body B is to be necked-inand flanged, only one head I-! will be utilized, and the other end ofthe body B will be supported in any suitable manner.

Each head I-I includes a spinning ring or pilot 32, which is providedwith a shallow annular V-shaped open groove 34 which is formed with afrusto-conical wall 35 which is designed to snugly receive the bodypreflange P, as best seen in FIG. 5. Each of the pilots 32 also hasformed in it, inwardly of the groove 34, an annular rounded grooveportion 36 which intersects with the groove 34 in an annular corner 37.

Each spinning pilot 32 is carried on a hollow sleeve 38 which isrotatable on bearings 40 which are carried by a stepped, non-rotatableshaft 42. Thus, the sleeve 38 and the pilot 32 are tied to and movablelongitudinally with the shaft 42.

The shaft 42 carries a cam roller 50 which is mounted on a collar 52which is secured to the shaft 42.

The carn roller 50 operates in the groove 54 of a cam 56 of any suitabletype which is designed to reciprocate the shaft 42 towards and away fromthe body B in a full forward and return stroke, with an interveningdwell period. It will be understood that suitable spring mountedbearings 57 (shown only at the left in FIG. 8) are provided for eachshaft 42 outwardly of the collar 52.

The front end of each shaft 42 is formed into an integral, non-rotatableeccentric portion 58 which is of reduced diameter and has its centerlineE eccentric with the center line E of the main portion of the shaft 42(see FIGS. 8-10). The inner end of the eccentric shaft portion 58carries a circular spinning anvil 60 which is mounted for free rotationon a bearing 62 which is carried by the eccentric 58. Consequently, theanvil 60 is permanently eccentric to the pilot 32.

The peripheral portion of the anvil 60 having a bulbous configuration,the bulbous configuration forming an annular groove portion 64 in theanvil adjacent pilot 32. Because of the eccentricity of the anvil 60,the groove portion 64 is substantially tangential to, and in fullalignment with, the groove portion 36 of the pilot 32 at only one point.At this point, the groove portions 36, 64 of the pilot 32 and the anvil60, respectively, combine to provide a full spinning groove section G(see FIGS. 5, 9 and 11), having the desired interior configuration ofthe necked-in portion N of the can body B.

The outer end of each sleeve 38 is provided with gear teeth 66 whichmesh with a drive gear 68 which is longitudinally movable with androtates the sleeve 38 and, consequently, the pilot 32. The rotation ofthe sleeve 38 is transmitted to the anvil 60 through a pin 70, one endof which is mounted in inner end of the sleeve 38 and the other end ofwhich is mounted in a small slide 72 (see FIGS. 8 and 13) which operatesin a slot 74 which is formed in the adjacent end of the anvil 60. Byvirtue of this construction, the slide 72 reciprocates in the slot 74 asthe sleeve 38 rotates to thus compensate for the eccentricity of theanvil 60.

Each sleeve 38 also carries a roller 76 which is engaged by a suitablepressure member 78 which may be a cam or a roll and which islongitudinally movable with the sleeve 38.

The machine M also includes a pair of spinning rolls 88 which aremounted for free rotation on bearings 82 carried on sleeves 84 which areslidable along shafts 81 mounted in a fixed holder 88 (see FIG. 8). Thesleeves 84 are held against rotation around the shafts 86 by pins 9%),and are normally held in an inward position by means of springs 92 (seeFIGS. 8 and 12). The crown 94 of each spinning roll 80 has aconfiguration which is substantially complementary to that of the grooveG, and which corresponds to the desired external configuration of thefinished, flanged and necked-in end portion of the can body B.

As seen in FIG. 8, when the shafts 42 are in their retracted position,the spinning heads I-I, including the anvils 60, are spaced apart adistance greater than the length of the can body B. This permits thebody B to be easily fed into position between the opposed heads H inconcentric alignment with the pilots 32 in any suitable manner, as byhand or by means of a magnetic or gripper cradle 96 which forms a partof the machine and which may automatically transfer the body B from thepreflanging dies 30.

When the can body B is thus positioned, the cams 56 are actuated in suchmanner as to move the heads H through their forward stroke to therebyinsert the anvils 60 into the body B and to cause the preflanges P to bereceived in the grooves 34 of the pilots 32 (see FIG. 9). Thus, the bodyB is clamped between and supported and rotated by the rotating pilots32. It will be noted that the anvils 60 just clear the interior surfaceof the body B as they move inwardly so that there is no interferencebetween the body and the anvils.

After the body B has been thus clamped between the heads H, the pressuremembers 78 are moved against the rollers 76 to move the heads l-ltowards the spinning rolls St) to press the rotating body B against thespinning rolls 80, and thereby initiate the necking-in and flangeforming steps of the invention.

As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 9, at the beginning of the spinningoperation, the spinning rolls 80 are held in their normal, or inwardlyretracted, position by the action of the springs 80. In this position,the crowns 94 of the rolls 92 are in adjacent opposing relationship toand in radial alignment with the anvil spinning groove portion 64 andare slightly axially i.e. longitudinally, off set from and not fullyaligned with the full spinning groove G. Consequently, they make initialcontact with the rotating body B along a line disposed approximately inthe plane indicated as X in FIG. 5, and thus begin the spinningoperation at this area.

As the pressure members 78 continue to move the heads H toward the rolls80, the pressures on the rolls 80 exerted by the bulbous configurationof anvils 60, adjacent the arrow on the drawing for reference character64, gradually overcome the pressure of the springs 92 and cause therolls 80 to move outwardly on shaft 81 towards the ends of the can bodyB and vectorily into groove G as the spinning operation progresses. FIG.6 shows an intermediate position wherein the spinning roll 80 has movedvectorily outwardly to some extent toward the edge of the body B andwherein the end portion of the body B has been partially spun into thegroove G. As the body B is forced into the groove G, its preflanges Pare forced out of the shallow grooves 34 and pivot around the annularcomer 37. As a result of this, the preflanges P gradually assumepositions of greater angularity with respect to the cylindrical wall ofthe body B, as seen in FIG. 6, and approach the desired angle ofinclination of the finished flange F, which angle may range from aboutto relative to the axis of the can body B.

This operation progresses until the spinning rolls 80 move outwardly asufficient distance to cause their crowns 94 to fully enter the spinninggroove G, as seen in FIG. 7, at which time the spinning operation issubstantially complete and the ends and the body B fully reformed intothe necked-in portion N and the finished flange F. This can generally beaccomplished during seven to 10 turns of the pilots 32. After the crown94 thus fully enters the spinning groove G, the head H is rotated atleast one more time to cause the spinning roll 80 to roll the metal inthe necked-in portion H and flange F against the walls of the groove Gto iron out any wrinkles which might have formed therein during thespinning operation and complete the spinning operation. The holder 88may be mounted on heavy springs 98 to limit the pressures which areexerted during this latter portion of the operation.

During the spinning operation, the heads H are held in their forward, ordwell, position, by the cams 56. Thereafter, the pressure members 78 areretracted, and the spinning heads l-l returned to the position of FIG. 9by the spring mounted bearings 57 to carry the finished body B away fromthe spinning rolls 80. The shafts 42 are thereupon moved through theirreturn stroke by the cams 56 to withdrawn the heads H from within thecan body B, which may then be moved to any suitable place of deposit byhand or by movement of the feed cradle Withdrawal of each anvil 60 fromwithin the body B is easily effected even though, in the mechanism ofFIGS. 8-10, no means are provided to remove the anvil 60 from itsposition behind the necked-in portion N of the body B. Because of thefact that the maximum diameter of the anvil 60 is somewhat less than theminimum internal diameter of the necked-in portion N, as the anvils 60are pulled outwardly they automatically cam against the portions N andmove the body B downwardly into a position wherein it is substantiallyconcentric with the anvils 60, thus permitting withdrawal of the anvils60 without interference between the anvils 60 and the body portions N.If desired, suitable pressure members (not shown) may be provided tobear against the body B and urge it downwardly to this concentricposition.

If it is desired to avoid all contact between the anvils 60 and thenecked-in body portion N during withdrawal of the anvil at thecompletion of the operation, the modified spinning head H of FIGS. 14-17may be utilized. In this embodiment of the invention, wherein thoseparts corresponding to the parts of the embodiment of FIGS. 8-13 aregiven primed identifying numbers, the spinning pilot 32 and sleeve 38'are mounted for rotation on a hollow, non-rotatable shaft 42 and isrotated by the meshing of the gear teeth 66' with the drive gear 68'.The shaft 42 carries the collar 52' and the cam roller 50' whichoperates in the groove 54 of cam 56', and is moved towards the spinningroll 88' by the pressure member 78' which engages against the roller 76.

The embodiment of FIGS. 14-17 differs from that of FIGS. 8-13 in thatthe spinning anvil 60 is mounted so that it is concentric with thespinning pilot 32, initially at the time it is inserted into the canbody B prior to the spinning operation, as seen in FIGS. 14 and 16, andagain after completion of the spinning operation, when it is withdrawnfrom the flanged and necked-in body B. Between these times, and thusduring the entire spinning operation, the spinning anvil 60 is moved toa position wherein it is eccentric to the pilot 32' and so occupies thesame position and functions in the same manner as does the anvil 60 ofthe mechanism FIGS. 8-13.

The movement which permits the centering of the anvil 60' relative tothe pilot 32' during the forward and return stroke of the spinning headH is made possible by mounting the anvil 60' on an eccentric portion 112of a shaft 114 which in turn is eccentrically mounted in the bore 116 ofthe hollow shaft 42'. The shaft 114 has its outer end formed withsplines 118 which slidably mesh with mating grooves (not shown) formedin a bore formed in one end of an arm 120, which arm carries at itsother end a cam roller 122 which operates in a groove 124 of a cam 126.

As seen in FIGS. 14 and 16, during the forward stroke of the head H, thearm 120 is held by the cam 126 in a position wherein the eccentric shaftportion 112, and consequently the anvil 60, are concentric with thehollow shaft 42' and the pilot 32'. After the head H has been insertedinto the can body B, the cam 126 actuates the arm 120 to rotate theshaft 114 to a position wherein the spinning anvil 60 is eccentric tothe pilot 32 so that the groove portion 36' of the pilot and the grooveportion 64' of the anvil cooperate to form the full spinning grooveportion G in exactly the same manner as do the corresponding elements inthe embodiment of FIGS. 8-13. The anvil 60' is held in this eccentricposition while the spinning operation is effected in exactly the samemanner as has been described in conjunction with FIGS. 8-13. Aftercompletion of the spinning operation, the arm 120 is returned to theposition of FIG. 14 to center the anvil 60' with respect to the pilot32' and the head H is withdrawn from the flanged and necked-in body Bwithout contact between the anvil and the body. It will be noted thatthe arm 120 does not move with the head H by the cam 56, relativemovement between the arm 120 and shaft 114 being permitted by thesliding of the shaft splines 118 in the grooves of the arm 120. It willalso be noted that the anvil 60' in this embodiment of the invention isnot positively driven. However, being idly mounted on the eccentricshaft portion 1 12 it will rotate during the spinning operation when itis engaged by the can body B, which in turn is rotated by the rotatingpilot 32'. If desired, however, suitable drive means, such as thatillustrated in FIG. 13 may be embodied in the head H of FIGS. 14-17 topositively drive the anvil 60'. It will be understood that except forthe provision for centering the anvil 60', the method of operation ofthe mechanism of FIGS. 14-17 is identical to that of the mechanism ofFIGS. 8-13.

A third embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIGS. 18-21, whereina collapsible spinning anvil is used instead of the eccentric anvils ofFIGS. 8-17. This collapsible anvil 160 may be utilized in conjunctionwith a spinning head H" which is a modification of the head H of FIGS.14-17. Those parts in the head H" which directly correspond to partsshown in the head II have been double primed.

As seen in FIG. 18, in this third embodiment of the invention, thespinning pilot 32" is carried on a sleeve 38" which is carried on ahollow non-rotating shaft 42" and is rotated by a drive gear (not shown)which corresponds to the drive gear 68 of FIG. 8 and which meshes withteeth (not shown) formed integral with sleeve 38 in the same manner asteeth 66' are formed integral with sleeve 38'.

The collapsible spinning anvil 160 is mounted between the end of thesleeve 38" and a retaining ring or plate 162 which is secured in placeby bolts 164 so that it rotates with the sleeve 38".

The anvil 160 comprises a group of three large segments 168 and a groupof three small segments 170 which alternate with the large segments 168.The segments 168, 170 are respectively mounted on small slide bushings172, 174 which are carried by the bolts 164 and which respectivelyoperate in radial bores 176, 178 which are formed in the segments.

The segments 168, 170 maintain sliding contact with each other alongshort walls 180, 182 formed respectively, therein, and are normally heldin their radially inward, collapsed condition (see FIGS. 18, 20) by anendless circular spring 184 which is carried in short arcuate groovesections cut in the segments 168, 170. With the anvil 168 in thiscollapsed condition, the head H" is inserted into the preflanged body 13so that the prefiange P is received in the groove of the rotating pilot32" as seen in FIG. 18. The body B thereafter rotates with the pilot.The insertion, and subsequent withdrawal of the head H" is effected byreciprocation of the shaft 42" in the manner described in reference toFIGS. 14 & 17.

With the body B thus positioned, the segments 168, 170 are cammedradially outwardly in their expanded position by a wedge which iscarried at the inner end of a rod 192 which is concentrically mountedwithin the hollow shaft 42" and is moved outwardly (to the left as seenin FIG. 18) relative to the hollow shaft 42" by any suitable mechanismsuch as a cam (not shown).

As a result, inclined faces 194 on the wedge 190 engage inclined faces196 on the segments 168, 170 and force the segments outwardly until thewedge faces 194 ride oi? the segment faces 196 and the wedge 190 reachesits full home position of FIG. 19 wherein vertical walls 198 in theinner end of the wedge 190 engage corresponding vertical walls 200 onthe segments 168, 170. In this position, the segments 168, 170 are fullyexpanded so that their arcuate circumferential faces 202, 2114,respectively, cooperate to form a full circle. These faces 202, 204 arecontoured to provide a circu- Iar anvil surface which includes a partialgroove portion 64" which is disposed contiguous the partial grooveportion 36' of the pilot 32" and cooperates therewith to form fullspinning groove G" which extends for 360 in concentricity with the pilot32' and the can body B.

Thereafter, the rotating body B is pressed against the spinning roller80", which here again is initially axially offset from the groove G" tothe extent shown in FIG. 5, and the spinning operation is effected inthe manner heretofore described to form the necked-in section N and thefinished flange F. As seen in FIG. 19, at the completion of thisoperation, the spinning roll 80" is fully aligned with and positionedwithin the groove G, having moved to this position from its initialposition during the spinning operation.

After completion of the spinning operation, the rod 192 is moved to theright to release the anvil segments .1 58, 170 and the latter are movedinwardly to their collapsed position (see FIG. 18) by the spring 184, inwhich position they are radially inwardly of and fully clear of thenecked-in section N of the body B. The head H" is then moved to the leftto withdraw the pilot 32", the anvil 160, the rod 164 and the plate 162from the body B without interference therewith, and the released body Bis discharged in any suitable manner. Withdrawal of the anvil 160 fromthe body is made possible by the fact that its maximum diameter incollapsed condition is less than the minimum internal diameter of thenecked-in body portion N, as also is the diameter of the plate 162.

It will be realized that in all versions of the machine, either one ortwo spinning heads may be utilized to operate upon the body B, dependingon whether one or both ends of the body B are to be flanged andneckedin. If two heads are used, they are usually used simultaneously,but if desired, they may be employed sequentially to operate on one endof the body B at a time.

In addition, while the drawings show the spinning heads as being movedtowards the spinning rolls, the necessary relative motion between thosemembers may also be effected by moving the spinning rolls towards theheads.

While the preflanging step of FIG. 2 is desirable in order to round upthe body B and condition it for reception on the flanging pilots, it mayunder some conditions be eliminated in which event the frustoconicalwall 35 may either be retained, in which event it will effect apreflanging operation on the body, or be replaced by a substantiallycylindrical wall which is parallel to the unflared end of the body B andwhich engages snugly within the body B when the pilot is moved into thebody. In the latter event, substantially the same spinning operation iseffected to fully flange and neckin the body, the only difference beingthat the end of the body must be pivoted around the annular corner 37through a somewhat greater angle.

One of the important advantages of the instant invention is that no lossin body height is suffered. In other words, the finished body B of FIG.3 has the same height as a conventionally flanged, but unnecked-in, bodywould have if it were made from the straight walled body of FIG. 1.Thus, bodies B which are flanged and necked-in via the instant methodmay be run interchangeably with conventional straight-walled bodieswithout requiring a height and adjustment of the closing machine. Thisresult, which is obtained because the spinning operation tends to causethe metal which is being spun to flow towards the end of the can andthus offset the loss of height which would normally llil result becauseof the radially inward displacement of this metal, is not obtained in adie necking-in operation. Thus, in the die necking-in operation, a lossof height in the body, relative to a conventional body, is suffered, anda longer body blank is required in order to obtain the conventional bodyheight.

It will be understood that the direction of rotation of the can body Bin relation to the spinning roll is usually immaterial, even in thoseinstances where the can body B is formed with a double layer, lap typeside seam in the area being reshaped. In other words, satisfactoryresults are obtainable regardless of whether the spinning roll ridesinto or off of the stepped overlap edge of the side seam. The same isgenerally true, regardless of the type of side seam used in the body B,as well as where seamless bodies are used.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of parts of the apparatus mentioned herein and in the stepsand their order of accomplishment of the precess (method) describedherein, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention orsacrificing all of its material advantages, the apparatus and processhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A mechanism for necking-in and flanging an openended can body,comprising a rotatable pilot having a groove portion therein, said pilotbeing engageable with the open end of the can body for effectingrotation of said body,

an anvil insertable into said can body and having a bulbousconfiguration, said configuration forming a groove portion in saidanvil, said groove portions of said pilot and anvil being substantiallycontiguous with one another, to cooperatively provide a spinning groovedisposed interiorly of said can body,

a spinning roll disposed outwardly of said can body and provided with acrown which is initially disposed in axially offset relationship to saidspinning groove and in adjacent opposing radial alignment with saidgroove portion of said anvil,

means for effecting relative radial movement between said spinning rolland said spinning groove to bring the crown of said spinning roll intopressured contact with the outer surface of said can body outwardly ofadjacent to said anvil to effect a spinning operation, and

means for effecting relative axial movement between said spinning rolland said spinning groove; said means for effecting relative radialmovement, said means for effecting relative axial movement and saidbulbous configuration of said anvil cooperating with each other as saidspinning operation progresses to permit said crown to move vectorily andgradually spin a portion of said can body fully into said spinninggroove to thereby cause said portion to assume the configuration thereofand thereby simultaneously form a neck and flange in said portion ofsaid can body.

2. The mechanism of claim ll wherein said means for effecting relativeaxial movement includes a shaft on which said spinning roll is slideablymounted for free rotation thereon.

3. The mechanism of claim 2 wherein said means for effecting relativeaxial movement also includes spring means for biasing said roll in itsinitial position on said shaft and for allowing said roll toself-adjustingly move axially along said shaft against said bias as saidspinning operation progresses.

4. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said anvil is eccentric to and hasits axis within said pilot.

5. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein said anvil has a maximum diameterless than the minimum intemal diameter of the spun portion of said canbody.

6. The mechanism of claim 5 wherein said anvil is moveable to a positionconcentric with said pilot after completion of the spinning operation.

7. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said anvil is permanently concentricwith said pilot.

8. The mechanism of claim 7 wherein said anvil is collapsible aftercompletion of the spinning operation.

9. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said pilot is provided with anannular wall which is engageable against the inner surface of themarginal edge portion of the open end of said can body.

10. The mechanism of claim 9 wherein said pilot wall is frusto-conical.

11. The mechanism of claim 10 wherein said pilot wall is cylindrical.

12. The mechanism of claim 9 wherein said pilot is provided with anannular corner between said wall and its groove portion which functionsas a pivot corner around which a portion of said can body is pivotedduring said spinning operation.

13. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said pilot and anvil are tiedtogether for simultaneous axial movement into and out of said can bodyend.

14. The mechanism of claim 13 wherein said anvil is free wheeling.

15. The mechanism of claim 14 wherein said anvil is rotated in time withsaid pilot.

16. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein there is provided a slideabledriving connection between said pilot and anvil to compensate for theeccentricity of said anvil.

1'7. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein resilient means are provided tolimit the pressure contact between said can body and said spinning roll.

18. A machine for neckingin and fianging a can body having both endsopen, comprising a pair of rotatable pilots having walls engageable withinterior portions of the opposing ends of said can bodies,

a spinning anvil associated with each pilot having a bulbousconfiguration,

a partial spinning groove portion being formed in each pilot,

a partial spinning groove portion being formed in each anvil,

the partial spinning groove portions of the pilots and anvils beingsubstantially contiguous and cooperating to form a full spinning groove,

means for moving said pilots and anvils longitudinally of said can bodyto insert said spinning grooves into opposite ends of said can body andto bring said pilots into engagement with said can body to effectrotation thereof,

a pair of spinning rolls disposed outwardly of said can each of saidrolls being formed with an annular crown which is initially slightlyaxially offset relative to and in adjacent opposing radial alignmentwith one of said full spinning grooves and is mounted for axial movementto fully align it with said groove,

means for withdrawing said anvils from said body,

and

means for effecting relative radial movement between said body and saidspinning rolls to bring the crowns of said rolls into pressured contactwith the outer surface of said can body outwardly and adjacent to saidanvil, said longitudinal moving means, said relative radial movementmeans, and said bulbous configuration of said anvil cooperating tothereby cause said crowns to vectorily spin said body fully into saidspinning grooves, and to thereby simultaneously neck-in and flange saidboth ends of said can body.

19. The machine of claim 18 wherein each of said anvils is eccentric toand has its axes within its associated pilot while said body is beingspun by said roll and has a maximum external diameter less than theminimum internal diameter of the adjacent spun portion of said can body.

20. The machine of claim 19 wherein said anvils are moveable to aposition substantially concentric with said pilots during insertion andwithdrawal of said anvils into and from said body.

21. The machine of claim 18 wherein said anvils are concentric with saidpilots, and are collapsible to a reduced diametral dimension tofacilitate insertion into and withdrawal from said body.

22. The machine of claim 21 wherein said anvils are rotatable.

237 The mechanism of claim 12 wherein said anvil is eccentric to and hasits axis within said pilot.

24. A mechanism for necking-in and flanging an open-ended can bodycomprising a rotatable pilot engageable with an open end of the can bodyfor effecting rotation of said body, said pilot having an annular stopwall engageable against the open end of the can body,

an interior annular wall engageable against the inner surface of themarginal edge portion of the open end of said can body,

a groove portion formed on said pilot interiorly of and adjoining saidannular wall, and

an annular pivot corner between said annular wall and said pilot groove;

an anvil insertable into said can body and having a bulbousconfiguration, said configuration forming an adjoining groove portiontherein, said anvil being permanently eccentric to said pilot and beingseparate from yet tied to said pilot for timed rotation therewith andfor simultaneous axial movement into and out of said open end of saidcan body, said groove portions of said pilot and anvil beingsubstantially contiguous to one another and cooperating with each otherto provide a spinning groove disposed interiorly of said can y;

a spinning roll disposed outwardly of said can body and provided with acrown having the configuration of said spinning groove, said crown beinginitially disposed in axially ofi'set relationship to said spinninggroove and in adjacent opposing radial alignment with said grooveportion of said anvil;

means for effecting relative radial movement between said spinninggroove and said spinning roll to bring said crown of said spinning rollgradually radially into pressure contact with the outer surface of saidcan body outwardly of said anvil groove portion and adjacent saidbulbous portion, to effect a spinning operation; and

means for effecting relative movement of said pilot said anvil and saidspinning roll along their axes, said respective means for effectingrelative radial and axial movement cooperating with each other and withsaid bulbous configuration of said anvil as said spinning operationprogresses to permit said crown to move vectorily and gradually spin aportion of said can body fully into said spinning groove to therebycause 1) said portion to assume the configuration thereof and (2) saidmarginal edge portion to leave said annular and stop walls and pivotaround said corner, and thereby simultaneously form a neck and flange insaid can body. 25. The mechanism of claim 23 wherein said means foreffecting axial movement includes a shaft on which said spinning roll isslideably mounted for free rotation thereon, and spring means forbiasing said roll in its initial position on said shaft and for allowingsaid roll to self-adjustingly move axially along said shaft against saidbias as said spinning operation progresses.

26. The mechanism of claim 23 wherein said annular wall isfrusto-conical.

1. A mechanism for necking-in and flanging an open-ended can body,comprising a rotatable pilot having a groove portion therein, said pilotbeing engageable with the open end of the can body for effectingrotation of said body, an anvil insertable into said can body and havinga bulbous configuration, said configuration forming a groove portion insaid anvil, said groove portions of said pilot and anvil beingsubstantially contiguous with one another, to cooperatively provide aspinning groove disposed interiorly of said can body, a spinning rolldisposed outwardly of said can body and provided with a crown which isinitially disposed in axially offset relationship to said spinninggroove and in adjacent opposing radial alignment with said grooveportion of said anvil, means for effecting relative radial movementbetween said spinning roll and said spinning groove to bring the crownof said spinning roll into pressured contact with the outer surface ofsaid can body outwardly of adjacent to said anvil to effect a spinningoperation, and means for effecting relative axial movement between saidspinning roll and said spinning groove; said means for effectingrelative radial movement, said means for effecting relative axialmovement and said bulbous configuration of said anvil cooperating witheach other as said spinning operation progresses to permit said crown tomove vectorily and gradually spin a portion of said can body fully intosaid spinning groove to thereby cause said portion to assume theconfiguration thereof and thereby simultaneously form a neck and flangein said portion of said can body.
 2. The mechanism of claim 1 whereinsaid means for effecting relative axial movement includes a shaft onwhich said spinning roll is slideably mounted for free rotation thereon.3. The mechanism of claim 2 wherein said means for effecting relativeaxial movement also includes spring means for biasing said roll in itsinitial position on said shaft and for allowing said roll toself-adjustingly move axially along said shaft against said bias as saidspinning operation progresses.
 4. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein saidanvil is eccentric to and has its axis within said pilot.
 5. Themechanism of claim 4 wherein said anvil has a maximum diameter less thanthe minimum internal diameter of the spun portion of said can body. 6.The mechanism of claim 5 wherein said anvil is moveable to a positionconcentric with said pilot after completion of the spinning operation.7. The mechanism of claim 1 wherein said anvil is permanently concentricwith said pilOt.
 8. The mechanism of claim 7 wherein said anvil iscollapsible after completion of the spinning operation.
 9. The mechanismof claim 1 wherein said pilot is provided with an annular wall which isengageable against the inner surface of the marginal edge portion of theopen end of said can body.
 10. The mechanism of claim 9 wherein saidpilot wall is frusto-conical.
 11. The mechanism of claim 10 wherein saidpilot wall is cylindrical.
 12. The mechanism of claim 9 wherein saidpilot is provided with an annular corner between said wall and itsgroove portion which functions as a pivot corner around which a portionof said can body is pivoted during said spinning operation.
 13. Themechanism of claim 1 wherein said pilot and anvil are tied together forsimultaneous axial movement into and out of said can body end.
 14. Themechanism of claim 13 wherein said anvil is free wheeling.
 15. Themechanism of claim 14 wherein said anvil is rotated in time with saidpilot.
 16. The mechanism of claim 4 wherein there is provided aslideable driving connection between said pilot and anvil to compensatefor the eccentricity of said anvil.
 17. The mechanism of claim 1 whereinresilient means are provided to limit the pressure contact between saidcan body and said spinning roll.
 18. A machine for necking-in andflanging a can body having both ends open, comprising a pair ofrotatable pilots having walls engageable with interior portions of theopposing ends of said can bodies, a spinning anvil associated with eachpilot having a bulbous configuration, a partial spinning groove portionbeing formed in each pilot, a partial spinning groove portion beingformed in each anvil, the partial spinning groove portions of the pilotsand anvils being substantially contiguous and cooperating to form a fullspinning groove, means for moving said pilots and anvils longitudinallyof said can body to insert said spinning grooves into opposite ends ofsaid can body and to bring said pilots into engagement with said canbody to effect rotation thereof, a pair of spinning rolls disposedoutwardly of said can body, each of said rolls being formed with anannular crown which is initially slightly axially offset relative to andin adjacent opposing radial alignment with one of said full spinninggrooves and is mounted for axial movement to fully align it with saidgroove, means for withdrawing said anvils from said body, and means foreffecting relative radial movement between said body and said spinningrolls to bring the crowns of said rolls into pressured contact with theouter surface of said can body outwardly and adjacent to said anvil,said longitudinal moving means, said relative radial movement means, andsaid bulbous configuration of said anvil cooperating to thereby causesaid crowns to vectorily spin said body fully into said spinninggrooves, and to thereby simultaneously neck-in and flange said both endsof said can body.
 19. The machine of claim 18 wherein each of saidanvils is eccentric to and has its axes within its associated pilotwhile said body is being spun by said roll and has a maximum externaldiameter less than the minimum internal diameter of the adjacent spunportion of said can body.
 20. The machine of claim 19 wherein saidanvils are moveable to a position substantially concentric with saidpilots during insertion and withdrawal of said anvils into and from saidbody.
 21. The machine of claim 18 wherein said anvils are concentricwith said pilots, and are collapsible to a reduced diametral dimensionto facilitate insertion into and withdrawal from said body.
 22. Themachine of claim 21 wherein said anvils are rotatable.
 23. The mechanismof claim 12 wherein said anvil is eccentric to and has its axis withinsaid pilot.
 24. A mechanism for necking-in and flanging an open-endedcan body comprising a rotatable pilot engageable with an open end of thecan body for effecting rotatioN of said body, said pilot having anannular stop wall engageable against the open end of the can body, aninterior annular wall engageable against the inner surface of themarginal edge portion of the open end of said can body, a groove portionformed on said pilot interiorly of and adjoining said annular wall, andan annular pivot corner between said annular wall and said pilot groove;an anvil insertable into said can body and having a bulbousconfiguration, said configuration forming an adjoining groove portiontherein, said anvil being permanently eccentric to said pilot and beingseparate from yet tied to said pilot for timed rotation therewith andfor simultaneous axial movement into and out of said open end of saidcan body, said groove portions of said pilot and anvil beingsubstantially contiguous to one another and cooperating with each otherto provide a spinning groove disposed interiorly of said can body; aspinning roll disposed outwardly of said can body and provided with acrown having the configuration of said spinning groove, said crown beinginitially disposed in axially offset relationship to said spinninggroove and in adjacent opposing radial alignment with said grooveportion of said anvil; means for effecting relative radial movementbetween said spinning groove and said spinning roll to bring said crownof said spinning roll gradually radially into pressure contact with theouter surface of said can body outwardly of said anvil groove portionand adjacent said bulbous portion, to effect a spinning operation; andmeans for effecting relative movement of said pilot said anvil and saidspinning roll along their axes, said respective means for effectingrelative radial and axial movement cooperating with each other and withsaid bulbous configuration of said anvil as said spinning operationprogresses to permit said crown to move vectorily and gradually spin aportion of said can body fully into said spinning groove to therebycause (1) said portion to assume the configuration thereof and (2) saidmarginal edge portion to leave said annular and stop walls and pivotaround said corner, and thereby simultaneously form a neck and flange insaid can body.
 25. The mechanism of claim 23 wherein said means foreffecting axial movement includes a shaft on which said spinning roll isslideably mounted for free rotation thereon, and spring means forbiasing said roll in its initial position on said shaft and for allowingsaid roll to self-adjustingly move axially along said shaft against saidbias as said spinning operation progresses.
 26. The mechanism of claim23 wherein said annular wall is frusto-conical.